Lando sauntered up the steps of his undergraduate dorm at
the university. Spring break was coming to an end, and he wasn’t looking
forward to classes starting again.
He made his way to his dorm room, and was about to turn
the key and step in, when a crumpled paper on the floor just outside the door,
caught his eye. He opened the door and went inside. He paused,
and looked down again. It seemed sort of green. He bent down to look closer.
It was a hundred dollar bill.
Lando blinked and picked it up. He straightened it out,
and found it to be in good condition. Whoa, this was his lucky day.
His mind was racing with thoughts of what all he could
splurge on. A palpable sense of excitement arose. He went right back down the
steps, and headed straight for the mall.
His eyes homed in on the sports store on the top level.
The dark green, dry-fit Nike t-shirt was definitely his style, and would be
great for the summer ahead. Minutes later, it was his.
Next, he set his sights on a matching Nike baseball cap,
which would complement his new t-shirt. A broad smirk grew on his face. Now,
what?
He checked to find that he had about thirty dollars
remaining from his serendipitous loot. It was almost dinner time, and
Sullivan’s Steakhouse was on the way back.
Lando feasted on a scrumptious dinner of hand-cut kobe
beef. As he wiped his fingers clean and settled the cheque, he began to feel
wistful. Who knew a hundred dollars could get over so quickly? It really wasn’t
a lot of money, was it?
*****
Luke entered the undergraduate library at the university,
grudgingly prepared to get back to work as spring break drew to a close. He
searched for a quiet spot and parked himself.
He sat on the desk, opened his bag and brought out his
text books and notes. His pencil slipped to the floor below. As he went to
retrieve it, he noticed a folded paper on the floor next to the legs of the
desk he was sitting on. He picked it up.
It was a hundred dollar bill.
He looked at it again, and confirmed that it was in fine condition.
He couldn’t recall the last time he had some spare money to spend. He smiled,
and shrugged. He could come back to study a bit later.
Luke made his way to the mall. He passed the kids store
at the first level, and thought of his five year old niece, Ayesha. He went in and picked
up a cute stuffed bear for her. That would surely bring a smile to her face.
Next, he went to the women’s store and ambled around.
Mother’s day was around the corner, and the bonus cash had come just in time.
After much deliberation, he bought a purple scarf that he thought his mother
would appreciate.
He checked to find that he had about forty dollars left.
It was almost dinner time and he headed back to the university. He rounded up a
bunch of his friends who were loitering around in various labs, dorm rooms and
libraries. He ordered three large pizzas with his remaining money and treated
his friends. Like any self-respecting undergrads, they devoured the free pizza
without a second thought about the source.
Luke wore a satisfied smile as he went back home. Wow,
hundred dollars could sure go a long way. It actually was quite a lot of money,
wasn’t it?
*****
